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{{Taxonomy|image = 480px-Canis lupus laying.jpg|kingdom = Animalia|phylum = Chordata|subphylum = Vertebrata|class = Mammalia|order = Carnivora|suborder = Caniformia  |family = Canidae|genus = Canis|species = C. lupus|}}

{{Taxonomy|image = 480px-Canis lupus laying.jpg|kingdom = Animalia|phylum = Chordata|subphylum = Vertebrata|class = Mammalia|order = Carnivora|suborder = Caniformia  |family = Canidae|genus = Canis|species = C. lupus|}}

'''Wolves''' are carnivorous animals of the genus ''Canis'', and consist of a single species, the gray or timber wolf (''Canis lupus'') of the northern hemisphere. Wolves are known for their intelligence, social structure, and hunting skills, yet despite being the primary ancestor of the domestic dog, the wolf has been the subject of persecution throughout history as a pest of livestock, a killer of humans, and the subject of evil in many tales of folklore, and often without a basis in fact.

The '''wolf''' is a carnivorous animal of the genus ''Canis'', and consists of a single species, the gray or timber wolf (''Canis lupus'') of the northern hemisphere. Wolves are known for their intelligence, social structure, and hunting skills, yet despite being the primary ancestor of the domestic dog, the wolf has been the subject of persecution throughout history as a pest of livestock, a killer of humans, and the subject of evil in many tales of folklore, often without a basis in fact.

Several other canids are also known by the name "wolf". The Mexican wolf (''Canis lupus baileyi'') is considered by authorities to be a subspecies of the gray wolf; the red wolf (''Canis rufus'') of the southeastern [[United States]] continues to have some debate on whether it is a subspecies of the gray wolf or a distinct species in its own right.  Additionally, the coyote or prairie wolf (''Canis latrans'') of North America and the South American maned wolf (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'') bear the name as well but are not considered true wolves.

 

Several other canids are also known by the name "wolf". The Mexican wolf (''Canis lupus baileyi'') is considered by authorities to be a subspecies of the gray wolf; the [[red wolf]] (''Canis rufus'') of the southeastern [[United States]] continues to have some debate on whether it is a subspecies of the gray wolf or a distinct species in its own right.  The [[coyote]] or prairie wolf (''Canis latrans'') of North America and the South American [[maned wolf]] (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'') bear the name as well but are not considered true wolves.  Additionally, an extinct Australian marsupial, the [[thylacine]] (''Thylacinus cynocephalus'') has also been called the Tasmanian wolf due to its appearance.

==Description==

==Description==

When the pack is on the hunt, prey generally consists of large mammals - deer, caribou, moose - and the pack will cooperate with one another to catch and kill their target, which usually consists of a weak, old, or young animal.  They will also prey on smaller game, such as rodents or rabbits, and sometimes will scavenge carrion when no live prey is available.

When the pack is on the hunt, prey generally consists of large mammals - deer, caribou, moose - and the pack will cooperate with one another to catch and kill their target, which usually consists of a weak, old, or young animal.  They will also prey on smaller game, such as rodents or rabbits, and sometimes will scavenge carrion when no live prey is available.

====Reproduction====

==Reproduction==

Wolves are largely asexual creatures, giving birth to one to five pips (baby wolves) every four days or so. This is the largest factor in the general increase of wolf deaths in America over the past decade. By far, the chance of being devoured by wolves has surpassed cancer and newfangled "rock and roll" as the leading cause of death in America.

Wolves are monogamous, and mate for life <ref>[http://www.wolftrust.org.uk/a-reproduction.html Wolf Trust; United Kingdom]</ref> <ref>[http://www.wonderquest.com/animal-mate-for-life.htm Wonderquest; Animals that mate for life]</ref> <ref>[http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/grayWolf.html The Wild Ones; Gray Wolf]</ref>.  The alpha wolves in the pack do the actual breeding, which occurs in the spring; the pups are born two months later.  The average litter size is six, but sometimes more are born.  The pups open their eyes after nine days, with a gradual weaning to regurgitated meat within a month. The pups stay within the den for their first six weeks, gradually coming out to explore and play at the end of that period; by their third month they learn to hunt, and are fully adult in eighteen months.

==Value to Man==

==Wolves and people==

Attempts were made in the 1930s and thereafter to eliminate these animals as pests in the United States, particularly in [[Yellowstone National Park]], where it had been considered that stray wolves regularly fed upon livestock.  By the time they were included in the ''Red Data Book'' in 1973, they were severely restricted in range throughout North America and Europe, and classified as an endangered species.   

Attempts were made in the 1930s and thereafter to eliminate these animals as pests in the United States, particularly in [[Yellowstone National Park]], where it had been considered that stray wolves regularly fed upon livestock.  By the time they were included in the ''Red Data Book'' in 1973, they were severely restricted in range throughout North America and Europe, and classified as an endangered species.   

Currently, [[Alaska]] is the only state that permits control of wolf populations, due to the prolific reproduction rates in that isolated [[Arctic]] area.  Under the current policy, it is legal to shoot wolves from low flying airplanes, due to the state's very limited roads. Wolves and bears are very effective and efficient predators of caribou, moose, deer and other wildlife. In most of Alaska, humans also rely on the same species for food. In Alaska's Interior, predators kill more than 80% of the moose and caribou that die during an average year, while humans kill less than 10 percent. In most of the state, predation holds prey populations at levels far below what could be supported by the habitat in the area. Predation is an important part of the ecosystem, and all Alaska Department of Fish and Game wolf management programs, including control programs, are designed to sustain wolf populations in the future.  Currently (2009), five wolf control programs are underway that comprises about 9.4% of Alaska's total land area.<ref>[http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wolf.control Wolf Control in Alaska; Alaska Dept. of Wildlife Conservation]</ref><ref>[http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=control.predator_prey Overview of Relationships Between Bears, Wolves, and Moose in Alaska]</ref>

Currently, [[Alaska]] is the only state that permits control of wolf populations, due to the prolific reproduction rates in that isolated [[Arctic]] area.  Under the current policy, it is legal to shoot wolves from low flying airplanes, due to the state's very limited roads. Wolves and bears are very effective and efficient predators of caribou, moose, deer and other wildlife. In most of Alaska, humans also rely on the same species for food. In Alaska's Interior, predators kill more than 80% of the moose and caribou that die during an average year, while humans kill less than 10 percent. Wolves are an important part of the ecosystem, and all Alaska Department of Fish and Game wolf management programs, including control programs, are designed to sustain wolf populations in the future.  Currently (2009), five wolf control programs are underway that comprises about 9.4% of Alaska's total land area.<ref>[http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wolf.control Wolf Control in Alaska; Alaska Dept. of Wildlife Conservation]</ref><ref>[http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=control.predator_prey Overview of Relationships Between Bears, Wolves, and Moose in Alaska]</ref>

====Perceptions of Wolves====

====Perceptions of Wolves====